LifSwedish This is most likely a name adopted by soldiers in the 17th century. The actual meaning is unclear. It could be taken directly from the Swedish word liv meaning "life" or from a location named with this element.
LisHmong The name may come from the Chinese who gave Hmong names during the 18th century depending on the place they were in. It's a possible clan surname.
LoiPunjabi The surname Loi is predominantly associated with the Sikh Punjabi Jatt community, specifically within the Jatt caste. Originating from North East Punjab, the Lois constitute a relatively small Jatt clan known for their prowess in agriculture... [more]
LorHmong From the clan name Lauj associated with either the Chinese character 劉 (liú) (see Liu) or 羅 (luó) (see Luo).
LouChinese From Chinese 娄 (lóu) referring to the 16th constellation of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in traditional Chinese astronomy. It may also refer to the ancient state of Zhu Lou, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province, or the ancient fief of Lou, which existed in the ancient state of Chu in present-day Shandong province.
LouChinese From Chinese 楼 (lóu) meaning "storey, level, building".
MạcVietnamese Vietnamese form of Mo from Sino-Vietnamese 幕 (mạc). This was the name of a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled over northern Vietnam between the 16th and 17th centuries.
MäeEstonian Mäe is an Estonian surname meaning "hill".
MaiChinese From Chinese 麦 (mài) meaning "wheat, barley, oats". It was adopted as a family name by the descendants of Maiqiu, a figure from the Spring and Autumn Period, or Mai Tiezheng, a Sui dynasty military general.
MaiGerman Derived from German der Mai meaning "May", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
MajPolish, Jewish Surname adopted with reference to the month of May, Polish maj. Surnames referring to months were sometimes adopted by Jewish converts to Christianity, with reference to the month in which they were baptized or in which the surname was registered.
MaoChinese From Chinese 毛 (máo) referring to the ancient region of Mao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province. A notable bearer of this surname was Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
MarSwiss The surname Mar has roots from Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain. MAR: topographic name for someone living by the sea, from mar ‘sea’ (Latin mare). German: nickname from Middle High German mar(w) ‘tender’, ‘delicate’.
MâuVietnamese Vietnamese form of Mou, from Sino-Vietnamese 牟 (mâu).
MauKhmer From Chinese 毛 (máo) meaning "Mao", an ancient region in parts of present-day Henan, China, during the Zhou Dynasty.
MéeFrench French habitational name from places called (Le) Mée in Mayenne, Eure-et-Loir, and Seine-et-Marne, derived from Old French me(i)s ‘farmstead’ (Latin mansus).
NieChinese From Chinese 聂 (niè) referring to either of two ancient fiefs named Nie. One existed in the state of Wei (Wey) in what is now Henan province, while the other was part of the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province.
NiuChinese 1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]
NiuChinese From Chinese 牛 (niú) meaning "cow, ox, bull".
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
NoyEnglish Either (i) from the medieval male personal name Noye, the English form of the Hebrew name Noach "Noah 1"; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on Hebrew noy "decoration, adornment".
OdaJapanese From the Japanese 小 (o) "small," 尾 (o) "tail" or 織 (o) "fabric," "material," "cloth" and 田 (ta or da) "rice paddy" or 多 (ta or da) "many."... [more]
ŌgaJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 淡河, 王賀 or 相賀 with 淡 (tan, awa.i) meaning "faint, fleeting, pale, thin," 河 (ka, kawa) meaning "river," 王 (ou, -nou) meaning "king, magnate, rule," 相 (shou, sou, ai-, ou) meaning "aspect, councillor, each other, inter-, minister of state, mutual, phase, physiognomy, together" and 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]
OggScottish Anglicized form of a nickname from the Gaelic adjective óg meaning "young", used to distinguish the junior of two bearers of the same personal name.
OkaJapanese From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "ridge, hill".
ŌkiJapanese From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
OkiJapanese Alternate transcription of Japanese 大木 (see Ōki).
OkiJapanese From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea".
OksEstonian Oks is an Estonian surname meaning "branch" or "bough".
OkuJapanese From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside; inner depths". It is a reference to an event in the Northern and Southern Courts Period, of 3 sons of Takase who became heroes for the south. The emperor of Japan awarded each of the sons a new surname; Oku for the eldest son, Naka for the middle son, and Kuchi for the youngest son.... [more]
OkuJapanese From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside, interior".
OldEnglish From Middle English old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
OleEstonian Ole is an Estonian surname meaning "exist" or "entity".
OllEstonian Oll is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from the masculine give name "Olev".
OmaJapanese (Modern, ?) From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "large, big" and 間 (ma) meaning "interval, space".
OñaSpanish It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
ÔngVietnamese Vietnamese form of Weng, from Sino-Vietnamese 翁 (ông).
OngEstonian Ong is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "õng", meaning "fishing rod/hook".
OppGerman Generally considered a (very) contracted form of given names that contained the Old High German element od "fortune; wealth" (or a variant thereof) and a second element that began with or contained the letter B, for example Audobald.
OrdEnglish, English (American) Ord is an English descent surname that also has Gaelic roots. It's also short for many English surnames that end with "Ord". people include US Army general Edward Ord who practiced in California and had many street names after him.
OreEnglish Habitational name from Woore (Shropshire, England).
OrgEstonian Org is an Estonian surname meaning "valley".
OrrScottish This is an old name of Renfrewshire area of Scotland. The origins could be French or Norwegian (Viking) from more man 1000 years ago. What is known is that Orr is a place name and a sept of the Campbell clan... [more]
OtoJapanese O means "great, large" and to means "wisteria".
OtsEstonian Ots is an Estonian surname meaning "cusp" or "tip".
ÕueEstonian Õue is an Estonian surname meaning "outdoors".
OukKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer អ៊ុក (see Uk).
OumKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer អ៊ំ or អ៊ុំ (see Um).
ÕunEstonian Õun is an Estonian surname meaning "apple".
OuyFrench Some derive this name from the French word "gui," meaning mistletoe. Others think it comes through the Celtic name "Kei," from Caius. Others belive the name comes from the French words "guide," a leader, or "guidon," a banner... [more]
PewWelsh From Welsh ap Hew or ap Hugh "son of Hugh" (see Pugh). A fictional bearer is Blind Pew, the blind pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' (1883).
PinFrench, Dutch A topographic name for someone living by a pine tree or in a pine forest, or a habitational name from a place named with the Old French word pin, meaning ‘pine’.
PiuChinese 1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]
PoeEnglish From a medieval nickname for a vain or flamboyantly dressed person (from Old Norse pá "peacock"). American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was a famous bearer.
PymEnglish Recorded in several forms including Pim, Pimm, Pimme, Pym, and Pymm, this is a surname which at various times has been prominent in the history of England... [more]
PyoKorean (Rare) From Sino-Korean 表 (pyo) meaning "table, diagram, graph".
QinChinese From Chinese 秦 (qín) referring to the ancient state of Qin, which existed from 221 BC to 206 BC in what is now the Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.
QiuChinese From Chinese 邱 or 丘 (qiū) referring to a place called Yingqiu that existed in the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province. The name was originally written with the character 丘 until its usage was prohibited during the Qing dynasty in order to avoid a taboo caused by using the character of Confucius's given name, 丘... [more]